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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Redwings Playoff beard shown in this picture is a whole separate post in and of itself.

Amelia Island Kayaking

We were able to enjoy a random 4 day weekend, concluding this (Tuesday) evening. It has been a good time to relax and spend time together as a family. It’s also been a good time to get a blogpost out. Sorry for the long delay. Baby D keeps us busy.

After a date drought, Dana and I finally had a chance to go on a date last Saturday. This is the first of three in the next three weeks, so hopefully we can make up for the last six weeks. We had been doing so well getting our dates in up to this 6 week dry spell by getting 1-2 ‘dates’ in per month (we use the term ‘date’ loosely. Even if we wind up at Barnes and Noble, being child free constitutes a date in our minds.)

After nearly 8 years of marriage, we still have fun with our time together. Here are some highlights from Saturday.

10 a.m. – We packed a bag of clothes/lunch and headed to Amelia Island for 4 hours of kayaking. Our babysitter, who is used to seeing us Monday through Friday in the morning, was surprised to see us in such chipper moods. She is accustomed to seeing me flying around the house and running out the door without saying goodbye, so it was good for her to see a better side of me.
Dana bought a voucher for Kayak Amelia (http://www.kayakamelia.com/) on http://www.groupon.com/ for $15.00. It’s normally $50.00. I was so proud of her for getting such a great deal. I peppered the owner at the kayak rental desk about how the Groupon deal worked and basically learned their entire business model. I guess I am getting better at asking personal finance questions after leading so many Financial Peace courses.

We picked up a tandem kayak and opted out of two single kayaks. We figured that if we had any relational issues, they would definitely come to a head in the next four hours. The first 5 minutes were a little awkward getting our rhythm back (this was my second time in a kayak) but we soon got the hang of it. I told Dana that I was being “chivalrous” for letting her to all of the work. She replied, “No, you’re being feminist. Now paddle.” I love my wife.

On our way out, we were paddling against the wind. It made it a little more difficult, but we worked through it. We made it past the sandbar where all of the kayaks were stopping off and proceeded to the sandbar where only the boats were anchored (we’re not competitive at all.) We stopped off at the sand bar to eat lunch and to relax on the beach. We were surprisingly well prepared for this trip and had all we needed for our stop.

The way back was much easier paddling with the wind at our backs. After 3 ½ hours of kayaking, we were happy to get back on land. We quickly changed our clothes (I told you we were prepared) and headed into Amelia Island.

3 p.m. -We walked around the shops in the historic district without an agenda. It was just nice to be away. We stopped at The Happy Tomato restaurant in the late afternoon and got a bite to eat. During the meal, Dana reminded me about the last time we played putt-putt golf and how she beat me by a stroke. She reminded me that, historically, she has beaten me more times than I have beaten her. I simply don’t remember any of this, but I figured that I would remember this if it were true. We decided to settle this on the putt-putt golf course.

5 p.m. - My goal was to beat her so badly that her previous “allegation”’ of beating me could not hold up. *Side note: I am really not that good at putt-putt, or anything else golf related.
On the front nine, I started to get hot. I flirted with par the entire way, leaving Dana 9 strokes behind at the turn. Looking back on this, I didn’t say too much. I was fairly polite overall, but did manage to say at the turn, “Do you still think you can hang with me?” Dana just rolled her eyes. Yup, this is her husband.

That comment angered the putt-putt golf gods and led to a blow up on the next two holes (a five and five) giving Dana three shots back. A hole in one on the next hole settled me down and I got hot again, going -3 the rest of the way. I ended up winning by 15 strokes by the end. If I hadn’t blown those two holes, I could have used the “I wonder what the course record is here?” line. I really wanted to use that. Instead, I opted for the more personally insulting “It’s not really about beating you, it’s about trying to beat the course” line. I think it went over well and was very pleased with myself.

And I think we settled the putt-putt debate.

6 p.m. - Remarkably, Dana was still in good spirits on the way home. We had to make it back by 7 p.m. because our babysitter had plans for the evening. We picked up some Starbucks and made the 45 minute trek home.

8 p.m. - We were able to see Dylan for an hour before putting him to bed. After that our date resumed. We were banking on a Netflix movie to be in the mail, but I guess we had reached our max for the month. Our alternative on a Saturday night? Hulu.com. We watched Modern Family, Cougar Town, and The Office. Some people drink and do drugs to kill brain cells; we watch Hulu.

The highlight of the night happened when Hulu suggested Rick Steve’s Europe as a show to watch. I love Rick Steve’s and he is now accessible at any time. I gushed. Dana asked me, “How does Hulu know to suggest this show?” I replied confidently, “It’s because I marked the Frisky’s commercial as irrelevant and the Kotex commercial as relevant.” How can you argue with that logic?